Dave Emory’s entire life­time of work is avail­able on a flash drive that can be obtained HERE. The new drive is a 32-gigabyte drive that is current as of the programs and articles posted by the fall of 2017. The new drive (available for a tax-deductible contribution of $65.00 or more.)

WFMU-FM is podcasting For The Record–You can subscribe to the podcast HERE.

“A liberal’s idea of courage is eating at a restaurant that hasn’t been reviewed yet.”–Mort Sahl.

Mort Sahl, arguably the greatest stand-up comedian of all time.

Introduction: This program continues analysis from the previous program, transitioning to analysis of aspects of the Harvey Weinstein case.

The subtitle for this program comes from the play The Crucible by Arthur Miller. An allegory about McCarthyism, the play uses the Salem Witch Trials as a vehicle for illustrating the hysterical, unjust mode of accusation used against those pilloried by the anti-Communist witch hunts in early 1950’s America. Mr. Emory feels that the comparison with the weaponized feminism being used as a vehicle for psychological warfare and the (in some cases) unfair destruction of careers of those the right sees as obstructive is altogether appropriate.

Exemplifying this comparison is the use of malicious tweets in a San Francisco Chronicle story about director Oliver Stone’s caveat about the Harvey Weinstein case.

We reprint the comments from a trusted associate here, with a few minor editorial changes.

“Unlike Stone, we feel little sympathy for Weinstein and how ‘it’s not easy what he’s going through either’. Other than that, what he said is totally rational. ‘Wait and see, which is the right thing to do’.

What a misogynist! What, you don’t think that a loud and psychotic media witch hunt [hence The Crucible comparison–D.E.] isn’t the calm, responsible thing to do? Stone must be unstable! After all, he believes crazy things like JFK being killed by more than one person. As for the Playboy Playmate? Well, it wouldn’t surprise me if Stone did something like this (again…Hollywood), but with someone like Stone, who has been the target of CIA campaigns since 1991, I am not assuming anything.

Well, luckily we have calm, rational liberals on social media to apply some rationality and objectivity to this story! Twitter is such a (present participle, expletive deleted) sewer… Note the Ira Madison guy actively trolling for Oliver Stone dirt on behalf of Tina Brown’s Daily Beast. Man, some things never change… Got to love these journalists from ‘The Wrap’, they don’t even have to write anti-Stone hit pieces, they just go to twitter and copy and paste.”

Great to see Americans got out in front of these Oliver Stone comments on Weinstein and started boycotting his films a decade ago.

— Chris Spargo (@chrisonchris) October 13, 2017

Oliver – If you’ve heard the tape + still need to wait to make a judgment then you are the problem. When our heroes fall…FU for that.

— Táim caillte ???? (@mkm_Geo) October 13, 2017

How long till we hear about Oliver Stone in this same situation?

— Eddly (@ThatGuyEddly) October 13, 2017

We note that the Harvey Weinstein case is significant not because of what Weinstein appears to have done–with Oliver Stone’s caveat to be born in mind–but the timing of the surfacing of allegations which have been mounting for many years. (The cataloguing of those apparent incidents as “opposition research” has, in all probability, been going on for a long time.)

With the #MeToo phenomenon, in general, there is a conspicuous lack of due process. What vetting of the charges is taking place, other than public repetition via tweet? Of course, sexual harassment generally occurs with no witnesses other than the participants, so it is the aggressor’s word versus the victim’s. Still, it is a scenario that is ripe for exploitation in the context of the four “B’s” of American politics: Bullets, Bribes, Beds, and Blackmail.

A more circumspect approach would be to examine this from a counter-intelligence standpoint: What sort of political affiliations do the accusers have? Franken accusers Tweeden and Menz track to the right, and the photographic evidence does NOT hold up: The Franken “groping” photo is clearly a gag and the comically bawdy/libidinous aesthetic of the USO tour on which it occurred is obvious from the other photos displayed in the description for FTR #998.

The photo of Menz and Franken at the Minnesota State Fair (with Franken allegedly groping the accuser) took place with the alleged victim’s husband and father present. Menz and her husband voted for Trump.

No sale.

Furthermore, what serious examination of the accusers’ situations is occurring? Did they have large sums of money wired to their bank accounts? After lending momentum to the destruction of prominent liberals, is anyone taking care to examine if they then accept a lucrative arrangement (book or acting contract or well-paid corporate position) with a major commercial player?

We are not saying that any necessarily did, but is ANYONE doing due diligence on such matters?

We make a number of observations in connection with the Harvey Weinstein case:

Weinstein was a major contributor to both Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton (in 2016) among other Democrats.

Assuming that the accusations against Weinstein are substantive, and they may well be, it appears that “opposition research” has been conducted on his situation by the right for some time.

As Franklin Delano Roosevelt is alleged to have said: “In politics, nothing happens by accident. If it happens, you can bet it was planned that way.”

Psychological warfare relies heavily on the creation of associations to effect a goal: Bill Clinton’s remarkable indiscretion with Monika Lewinsky was midwived by George H.W. Bush counter-terror specialist and Bush White House holdover Linda Tripp. One can ponder the possibility that highlighting association between Weinstein and Hillary was meant to create resonance with the Monika Lewinsky case . . . A Bush administration appointee, Tripp (who, with the aid of Lucy Goldberg, precipitated the Lewinsky imbroglio) had a high security clearance, having worked for the Army’s Secret Intelligence Command at Fort Meade and for the Delta Force at Fort Bragg, N.C. (Note that the Delta Force functions in a counter-terrorist capacity. ‘Counter-terrorism’ is the rubric under which the Bush private intelligence networks operated.) . . . “

In the context of the above, the possibility that the Weinstein/Malia Obama link may have been intended to broaden the psychological association from Clinton/Lewinsky/Weinstein to Weinstein/Obama is one to be considered.

One of the central figures in the takedown of Harvey Weinstein was Ambra Battilana.

Ms. Battilana was also central to the takedown of P-2 Lodge member and former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi of Italy. Ms. Battilana gets around. “In politics, nothing happens by accident. If it happens, you can bet it was planned that way.”

In an important detail not included in the audio file of the program itself (but in this description), Ronan Farrow, who played a fundamental role in breaking the Harvey Weinstein case, has a background in the State Department, specializing in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Farrow is the son of Mia Farrow and Woody Allen. ” . . . . Post-law school: Lands a job at the State Department, as a special advisor focusing on conflict in Afghanistan and Pakistan. . . .”

Farrow continued his work for State in 2011. ” . . . . 2011:Starts working alongside Hillary Clinton with a lengthy title: Special Advisor to the Secretary of State for Global Youth Issues and director of the State Department’s Global Youth Issues office. . . .”

Another consideration to be weighed is the effect that some of the sexual harassment imbroglios may be having on the well-documented, insidious concentration of media ownership. The Fox News sexual harassment litigation contributed to Murdoch’s unloading of Fox to the Disney Corp. Key Weinstein corporate holding Miramax was obtained from Disney in the early ’90s. Abigail Disney, grand daughter of Roy Disney (brother of Walt and co-founder of the Disney entertainment empire) is among the cast of characters vying for stewardship of the Weinstein entertainment properties.

The program highlights elements prominent in the Women’s March who are allied with Louis Farrakhan. Like our discussion of Gloria Steinem as (perhaps) the ultimate manifestation of weaponized feminism, this will be presented at greater length in the next program and the description for it.

Fundamental in the consideration of this very difficult topic is the intelligence/counter-intelligence scenario Mr. Emory presented in FTR #998: From the standpoint of counter-intelligence analysis, the #MeToo phenomenon signals a superb tactic for political destruction: a) infiltrate a woman into the entourage or professional environment of a male politician, media or business figure targeted for destruction; b) have her gain the trust of her political target and his associates (the cardinal rule for a good double agent is “make yourself indispensable to the effort”); c) after sufficient passage of time, surface the allegations of sexual harassment; d) IF the opportunity for actual sex play and/or flirtation presents itself, take advantage of it for later use as political/rhetorical ammunition; e) with accusers having the tactical luxury of remaining anonymous, the operational template for a form of sexual McCarthyism and the precedent-setting contemporary manifestation of a sexual Star Chamber is very real–the operational similarities between much of the #metoo movement and the Salem Witch Trials should not be lost on the persevering observer; f) proper vetting of the accusations is absent in such a process; g) for a public figure in the U.S., proving deliberate defamation (libel/slander) is extremely difficult and litigation is very expensive–the mere surfacing of charges is enough to taint someone for life and the exorbitant expense of litigation is prohibitive for all but the wealthiest among us.

1. The program begins with a partial examination of the Harvey Weinstein case.

Malia Obama interned with Weinstein recently, although she was not involved in any of the scandalous activities.

. . . . Being a big time producer in the spotlight has led Harvey to get close to many people throughout his career and through his fortune, he’s been able to donate large amounts of money to causes he believes in. For Barack’s 2012 re-election campaign, he donated $680,000 and for Hillary Clinton‘s 2016 campaign, he helped raise up to $1.5 million.

2. More on the Harvey Weinstein case. One of the central figures in the takedown of Harvey Weinstein was Ambra Battilana.

For decades, the film producer Harvey Weinstein succeeded in hiding from public view complaint after complaint of sexual misconduct against him. But on the evening of March 28, 2015. at a rendezvous at the TriBeCa Grand, his longtime pattern of cover-ups was coming to an end.

Meeting with him at the hotel was Ambra Battilana, a 22-year-old model from Italy, who had reported to the police the night before that Mr. Weinstein had groped her during a business meeting. She was wearing a wire. As Ms. Battilana asked Mr. Weinstein he had touched her breasts at his office, undercover police officers monitored the exchange, eager to capture his every word. . . .

. . . . Little of what happened in the case emerged before this month, when The New York Times reported claims of rampant sexual harassment and unwanted touching by Mr. Weinstein, and The New Yorker reported sexual assault allegations—as well as the audio recording of the hotel encounter with Ms. Battilana. . . .

. . . . Ms. Battilana, a finalist in the Miss Italy pageant, caught Mr. Weinstein’s eye at a reception for a show he was producing at Radio City Music Hall. He told her she looked like Mila Kunis and invited her to bring her modeling portfolio to his office at the Tribeca Film Center.

When she arrived at his office, an assistant showed her a promotional video about his entertainment company before ushering her into his office, said Mark Jay Heller a lawyer who briefly represented the model in the criminal case.

They took a seat on the couch, and Ms. Battilana began showing Mr.Weinstein her modeling photos on a tablet computer as they discussed the possibility of her working as a lingerie model, according to the account she later gave police. When the topic turned to whether her breasts looked real, Mr. Weinstein lunged forward and grabbed them. She protested and pushed his hands away, but Mr. Weinstein was persistent, putting his hand up her skirt and asking to kiss her, the police report says.

Ms. Battilana reported the encounter to police within hours of leaving Weinstein’s office, and quickly detectives from the Special Victims Unit were brought into the investigation. The model was going over the details of her allegation with them when her phone rang. It was Mr. Weinstein asking to meet her for a drink, and the investigators seized the moment, whispering to her to accept an invitation to to see him the following night a the bar of the TriBeCa Grand hotel. They would fit her with a recording device. . . .

3. Ms. Battilana was also central to the takedown of P-2 Lodge member and former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi of Italy. Ms. Battilana gets around. “In politics, nothing happens by accident. If it happens, you can bet it was planned that way.”

On Aug. 22, 2010, in the Italian city of Milan, a famous television anchor invited two young models to a dinner party at Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi’s country villa. The models, both of them barely 18 years old, were flattered by the invitation and enticed by the anchor’s promises that he could help them get jobs in Berlusconi’s media empire.

But the women’s excitement turned into horror shortly after they arrived at the villa, according to hundreds of pages of Italian court records reviewed by BuzzFeed News.

The models reported they were repeatedly groped by the prime minister and his associates, the records show. They were pressured to join what appeared to be an incipient orgy. When they asked to leave, they were warned that their entertainment careers would be ruined.

The models left anyway. Months later, after the Italian media began reporting on the massive prostitution scandal that would end Berlusconi’s political career, they decided to come forward. . . .

. . . . Four years later, one of the models, Ambra Battilana Gutierrez, is involved in another high-profile sexual assault case. This time, the powerful mogul being accused is Harvey Weinstein, the Hollywood kingmaker who co-founded Miramax and produced Shakespeare in Love, Pulp Fiction, and other critically acclaimed movies. . . .

1d. We reprint the comments from a trusted associate here, with a few minor editorial changes.

“Unlike Stone, we feel little sympathy for Weinstein and how ‘it’s not easy what he’s going through either’. Other than that, what he said is totally rational. Wow, ‘wait and see, which is the right thing to do’.

What a misogynist! What, you don’t think that a loud and psychotic media witchhunt isn’t the calm, responsible thing to do? Stone must be unstable! After all, he believes crazy things like JFK being killed by more than one person. As for the Playboy Playmate? Well, it wouldn’t surprise me if Stone did something like this (again…Hollywood), but with someone like Stone, who has been the target of CIA campaigns since 1991, I am not assuming anything.

Well, luckily we have calm, rational liberals on social media to apply some rationality and objectivity to this story! Twitter is such a (present participle, expletive deleted) sewer… Note the Ira Madison guy actively trolling for Oliver Stone dirt on behalf of Tina Brown’s Daily Beast. Man, some things never change… Got to love these journalists from ‘The Wrap’, they don’t even have to write anti-Stone hit pieces, they just go to twitter and copy and paste.”

…Oliver Stone weighed in on the firestorm surrounding former mogul Harvey Weinstein that has spread across Hollywood, saying it is not right to condemn any man without a fair trial.

“I believe a man shouldn’t be condemned by a vigilante system. It’s not easy what he’s going through either,” the “Platoon” director said Thursday at the Busan International Film Festival while addressing international media.

“He was a rival and I never did business with him,” Stone continued “I’ve heard horror stories on everyone in the business. So, I’m not going to comment on that. I’ll wait and see, which is the right thing to do.”

While his comments appear neutral in nature, they didn’t sit well with many people on Twitter, with former Playboy Playmate Carrie Stevens saying: “When I heard about Harvey, I recalled Oliver walking past me & grabbing my boob as he walked out the front door of a party. Two of a kind!” . . .

. . . . Since last week’s New York Times article on Weinstein, A-list actresses — including Miramax’s brightest star Gwyneth Paltrow, Angelina Jolie, Heather Graham, Lea Seydoux and many more — have come forward with allegations of sexual misconduct.

Great to see Americans got out in front of these Oliver Stone comments on Weinstein and started boycotting his films a decade ago.

— Chris Spargo (@chrisonchris) October 13, 2017

Oliver – If you’ve heard the tape + still need to wait to make a judgment then you are the problem. When our heroes fall…FU for that.

— Táim caillte ???? (@mkm_Geo) October 13, 2017

How long till we hear about Oliver Stone in this same situation?

— Eddly (@ThatGuyEddly) October 13, 2017

4. Another consideration to be weighed is the effect that some of the sexual harassment imbroglios may be having on the well-documented, insidious concentration of media ownership. The Fox News sexual harassment litigation contributed to Murdoch’s unloading of Fox to the Disney Corp. Key Weinstein corporate holding Miramax was obtained from Disney in the early ’90s. Abigail Disney, grand daughter of Roy Disney (brother of Walt and co-founder of the Disney entertainment empire) is among the cast of characters vying for stewardship of the Weinstein entertainment properties.

. . . . Killer Content has proposed buying the Weinstein Co. library and development assets and establishing a fund through the New York Women’s Foundation to ensure that proceeds from titles produced under Harvey Weinstein’s leadership are diverted to organizations that support victims of harassment, assault and discrimination.